Victory for Immigrant Families: Preventing Unjust Deportations in NYC

Youth leader Antonio Alarcon announcing the introduction of the legislation with Speaker Quinn and Council Members Mark-Viverito, Chinn, Eugene, Lappin, and Williams.

Today, Mayor Bloomberg signed into law critical new legislation to prevent unjust deportations of New Yorkers.

The new City legislation, Intros. 982 and 989, stops the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using NYC’s criminal justice system as a pipeline to deport thousands of New Yorkers.

You may remember that a little over a year ago MRNY and our partners helped to win legislation to limit ICE’s involvement in NYC corrections facilities and prevent the Department of Corrections from spending millions of city taxpayer dollars to hold individuals at ICE’s behest for detention and deportation.

Today’s legislation strengthens and expands these protections to more immigrants and also extends this directive to the NYPD by limiting the department’s participation in ICE’s fatally flawed deportation dragnet known as “Secure Communities.”

These laws demonstrate to Congress that the City of New York is willing to stand behind immigrant families and stand up for humane immigration policy that keeps families together locally, while we fight for just and humane reform nationally.

We thank City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito for their partnership and leadership. And many thanks to the Center for Popular Democracy, the Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic, The Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defenders Services, the New Sanctuary Coalition, Immigrant Defense Project, SEIU 32BJ, and all the members of the large and diverse coalition that worked to pass this legislation.

MRNY will be holding know-your-rights trainings about the new law in the coming months. If you have questions, contact Daniel Coates, Lead Organizer at (718) 418 7690 x 1241.

It’s thanks to thousands of MRNY members and supporters that we are able to make this kind of impact and we look forward to working with you to win justice for immigrant families and our community.